Shock Top Liberty 75-69 for 8th Straight

Published 8:00 pm, Friday, June 27, 2003

Bill Laimbeer is up to his old tricks as coach of the streaking Detroit Shock.

"Look at our coach _ we're a physical team," Shock forward Swin Cash said. "He's never going to let us be a tentative team. We're always going to be an aggressive team."

Deanna Nolan scored 20 points to lead the Shock to their eighth straight victory, a 75-69 decision over the defending Eastern Conference champion New York Liberty on Friday night.

"We can bang with the best of them," said Laimbeer, a physical player during his days with the Detroit Pistons.

"That's what New York has been winning the conference with every year. That's why I modeled our team after them, because when it comes to playoff time, it's about interior scoring and interior defense. That's why I went out and got the players I did."

Cash added 17 points and Cheryl Ford, the daughter of NBA star Karl Malone, had 12 points and seven rebounds for the Shock (8-1), who also beat the Liberty 88-83 last Friday night.

"They have what we want, and that's the Eastern Conference championship," Cash said. "To win some games from New York, and to come into Madison Square Garden and do it, is big for us."

The Liberty (6-5) lost leading scorer Becky Hammon for the rest of the season with a right knee injury early in the first half.

Hammon tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her knee 12 seconds after entering the game. She planted her right foot at the 3-point line, then fell and clutched her knee.

"This is an incredibly bad break for a person who is having an All-Star year and who worked so hard in the offseason to become one of the team's best players," coach Richie Adubato said. "I know she'll persevere and rehab the knee and come back stronger and better."

Elena Baranova had season highs of 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Liberty (6-5), and Tari Phillips added 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Lynx 67, Mercury 59

At Minneapolis, Katie Smith made four 3-pointers and finished with 18 points as Minnesota beat Phoenix.